MC Hammer’s cousin charged in Calif with raping woman he met on Twitter, no plea in court

MC Hammer’s cousin appears in court on rape charge

PLEASANTON, Calif. — A cousin of MC Hammer who appears on the rapper’s cable TV reality show has been charged in California with raping a 40-year-old woman he met through an online social networking site.

Marvin Grant did not enter a plea during a court appearance Monday in Pleasanton, and asked to be assigned a public defender. He was arrested last month.

Police say Grant met the woman through Twitter and the two exchanged e-mails and phone calls before agreeing to meet at a Livermore hotel July 28. According to court documents, Grant attacked the woman after she declined his advances.

The 33-year-old Grant, also known as Marv, appears on MC Hammer’s reality show on the A&E cable network. The show follows the rapper and his family at his Tracy home.

Information from: Contra Costa Times